Middle aged plus one. Happy 51 to me...

Well it went as quick as it came...that is my 50th year in this world.  Officially I feel like I am truly on the downhill path which is scary and sad at the same time.  It's no secret my 2nd greatest fear is dying.  (My first being losing a family member.)  I don't know if it's because I worry how it will happen or because I can't imagine being without my family, even if it is just temporary.  I do know that each year is going by faster than the prior and I don't like that one bit.  

In keeping with a tradition...well, maybe not a tradition since this is only our second year doing it, Jack and I decided to spend my birthday exploring somewhere closer to home. Last year we did the Florida Keys and Miami and this year we did Naples.  This trip was a quicker trip because Jack had to be on a flight back to Utah on Sunday for meetings but we made the best of the time we had!

While Jack had been to Naples a long time ago for business, I had never been.  I can see why people love it and I can see why it would be such a great place to retire.  It has all the amenities of any big city but within a few short blocks it also has the charm of a very exclusive community with a city center with higher end stores and restaurants in addition to beautiful beaches a few short blocks away.  What I was especially drawn to were the beautiful homes that were conveniently located around the upscale shopping and yet were also steps away from the beautiful beaches.  We saw everything from massive estates to modern bungalows but all displayed beautifully manicured yards and while they were not hidden within gated communities, they felt safe and had a feel of being away from it all.  It reminded me of some of the neighborhoods we've seen around Beverly Hills.  

So here are a few highlights! 

The Naples Pier

Thai for dinner!  

We literally booked our hotel 10 minutes before arrival.  I wasn't sure where we'd want to be and after seeing that the Ritz was going for $1,000 a night I couldn't help but think of all the better ways to use that money so we ended up at the Naples Grande Beach Resort.  By beach resort we learned after checking in it meant taking that long boardwalk above to the beach...haha. But the room was large, clean, and contemporary and we always love a room with a view!

The next day we returned to the pier as it was a much sunnier day which always makes for prettier water.  We also enjoyed strolling down 5th ave and peaking in some of the nice art galleries.

As we made our way home we followed the coast up to Sanibel Island. It was fun driving through some of the beach communities. Along the highway just outside Ft. Meyers we saw all these cars parked.  There were so many we had to pull off to see what could possibly draw such a crowd.  After a five minute walk through the Florida jungle, it became very clear why there were so many cars.  It was a dog beach!  Dogs were everywhere. It was so cute to see all these happy dogs of all types and sizes playing in the water with other dogs and their owners.  We for sure want to bring Nova back to Bonita Beach dog park!  This photo doesn't do it justice as to how big the beach was and how many dogs were there!  So goodbye fifty...hello fifty-one!